International Students' Day (17/11)

International Students' Day is celebrated annually on November 17th. It was established in 1941 at an international meeting of students from countries fighting against fascism, which took place in London (UK), but began to be celebrated in 1946. The date was set in memory of Czech patriotic students.

Of course, this holiday is associated with youth, romance and fun, but its history, which began in Czechoslovakia during World War II, is associated with tragic events.

On October 28, 1939, in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, Prague students and their teachers demonstrated to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak state (October 28, 1918). Occupying units dispersed the demonstration, and medical student Jan Opletal was shot dead.

Jan Opletal's funeral on November 15, 1939 again turned into a protest. Dozens of demonstrators were arrested. On November 17, Gestapo and SS men surrounded student dormitories early in the morning. More than 1,200 students were arrested and imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Nine students and student activists were executed without trial in prison dungeons in the Ruzyne district of Prague. By order of Hitler, all Czech higher education institutions were closed until the end of the war.

In honor of these events, International Students' Day was established, and in the post-war years its celebration was confirmed at the World Congress of Students, held in Prague in 1946, and since that time it has been celebrated annually.

Today, Students' Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, and although the programs for celebrating this day vary, it is very popular among students. And almost no university remains aloof from the noisy and long-awaited holiday. And the Day is preceded by the International Student Week of Struggle for Peace and Friendship (November 10-17).

Let us remind you that Russian students celebrate National Student Day on January 25.



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